Merixstudio

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and CEO of an online poker game that’s played through bitcoin.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merixstudio?

We needed a partner to build the frontend component of our app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Merixstudio built two main parts of our app: the lobby and the betting rooms. In the lobby, users can see all the different tables they can join, and the betting grounds include cards, slots, and levers. They developed the UI for the tables and made the animations for the betting and card dealing.

How did you come to work with Merixstudio?

I found them online. I saw they did high-quality work and were reliable, so I hired them.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership lasted from March–May 2019. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

I reviewed most of their code, which was good and did exactly what we needed it to do.

How did Merixstudio perform from a project management standpoint?

We had daily calls to assess tasks and then a weekly review to make sure we were on the right track. They stuck to our budget, which we appreciated.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They do high-quality work, and they have an efficient workflow.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of any ways they could improve.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Have daily meetings and maintain good communication.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a product manager for an online investment and wealth management platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merixstudio?

We needed engineers who could add to the capacity of our internal development teams.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Merixstudio has provided us with frontend developers who work within our teams to build and maintain on our online platform in JavaScript React. They sometimes work from scratch and sometimes work with existing code. For example, they overhauled and relaunched the dashboard which is the first page users see when they log onto our platform. They replicated the existing technology while also developing a range of new functionality.

What is the team composition?

We work with two frontend engineers.

How did you come to work with Merixstudio?

To be honest that was not within my remit. That was kind of that was taken on by I believe it was probably the CTO or the VPs of engineering who would have actually sourced them.

What is the status of this engagement?

They started working with us in 2018 and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Their success is based on completing the tasks assigned to them to a standard we’ve set. The metrics are whether they completed the tasks within the allotted time and whether the resulting feature or whatever they're working on met the standard required for that task.

How did Merixstudio perform from a project management standpoint?

We work in two-week sprints and assign work at the beginning of a sprint to be completed within that period. They're highly efficient workers who are quick to pick up new tasks and complete them within the required time. The arrangement has worked very well. I had no complaints on that side of things.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I would say that they're self-starting. They pick up work quickly and take it through to the end—often in less time than we had required. They met and even exceeded deadlines that we set so I'm very happy in general.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could sometimes work more closely with other team members to make sure everyone is on the same page. We’ve had a few occasions of miscommunication between engineers that could have been solved if they’d communicated a bit more frequently. That way they ensure the best way forward to the desired solution.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

In my experience, they are really good at picking up a task and running with it. To get the best out of them, assign them self-contained tasks with very clear requirements and acceptance criteria. They’re also very productive and work quickly so it’s best to have several tasks lined up for them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I'm the CEO and founder of Divio. We’re a cloud solution that allows easy deployment of web applications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merixstudio? 

We needed to hire an external resource to work on various projects for our clients as well as our own open source projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Merixstudio provides ongoing web development services. They use Python Django for the backend and mostly JavaScript, XML, and CSS on the frontend. The largest part of their work is developing enterprise features for our internal content management system called Django CMS. They also help us maintain other open source projects. 

What is the team composition?

In total, we’ve worked with three developers and two project managers.

How did you come to work with Merixstudio? 

Merixstudio is an official partner of Divio. We looked at various competitors but decided to go with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

Their work started in January 2018 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We track the success of their work through reviews and feedback from our clients. They’re super professional, and they have great talent on their team. The project is set to end in June only because the client is taking a break. It definitely has the potential to continue in the future. We’re so happy with Merixstudio’s services. Overall, it’s been a really good experience.

How did Merixstudio perform from a project management standpoint? 

Merixstudio is quite well-practiced and well-structured. They proactively collect feedback from us about their performance. That makes it easy to bring up problems if something doesn’t go perfectly. They always deliver on time, which is nice for our relationship. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

Merixstudio is the best outsource developer we’ve worked with over the last 15 years. They’re not too big so they’re able to be proactive at taking care of their customers. They understand all our requirements and are especially good at Python Django. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

There's probably something, but nothing specific comes to mind. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

We were very clear about what we’re looking for and our requirements. We also took the time to work with them and not just hand off the project. That's worked quite well. They will listen to you, try to understand what you need, and then come up with a solution. I don't know how it works if you have zero requirements, but they're very professional. Sometimes you need to be pushy with outsourced teams in order to get them to deliver. That’s definitely not the case with Merixstudio.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a technical delivery director at Journey, a hospitality company that helps hotels market themselves. Our software developers build bespoke products that help hotels with specific business areas. My role is to convert our CEO's vision into technical products, and this is why I’m working with Merixstudio.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merixstudio

We brought on Merixstudio to fill an internal resource gap in the development of an e-commerce portal and an app. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They have been working on two projects so far, spanning web and app development, and both have been built from scratch. 

They’re building an e-commerce platform with a single code base that will be used by multiple clients and branded per individual hotel. Eventually, the platform will offer guests the opportunity to book services online. The team will integrate it with third-party systems and APIs. They’ve also been working on developing a native app for hotel members where they can book services and interact with the community.

They use a Symfony framework for backend development and React for frontend development. Throughout the process, QA specialists have performed both automatic and manual testing.

What is the team composition?

There are nine members in each project team, including front-and-backend developers, QA testers, a Scrum master, and UX specialists. While they work as a group, my colleague and I provide them with direction.

How did you come to work with Merixstudio?

One of our partners recommended the team to our CEO. He asked if he could meet with their business development members, and then he spoke with Mike (Research & Business Development, Merixstudio) and Kamil (Head of Business, Merixstudio). 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested over $250,000 with the team.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2018 and the partnership is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We review both the results of their work and the quality of their written code. We’ve found that they write excellent code. If we have any concerns, they are easily addressed through transparent communication.

How did Merixstudio perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management style has been fabulous. We have had daily standup video calls, and we see work demos on a bi-monthly basis. One project manager is involved in both projects, and he has been excellent at understanding our workflow and our goals. We’ve appreciated how internal stakeholders are treated as part of the team. The team raises issues early on so that we can work through the problems together. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s been incredibly refreshing to work with them. They have a true growth mindset — always striving to find a more efficient method. They’re happy to review constructive criticism, so all of our conversations have been positive. Our partnership has been supported by their fantastic, eager attitude. There’s always been a skilled professional available to produce what we ask for.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. They are one of the best groups of people I’ve worked with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Merixstudio likes to work in an agile way, but not all clients will understand the need for workshops or discovery sessions. I would encourage future clients to keep an open mind about their working style as it has helped us define our project more clearly and get to know the team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of a company that acts as a claims agent for larger bankruptcy cases.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merixstudio?

Our platform was outdated and didn't have many features. We needed to have more features in order to take on newer cases, so we started looking for a vendor to update our platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We run a Python Django platform, and we were using version 2. We wanted to move up to version 3 and upgrade our frontend.  Merixstudio helped us overhaul the entire website.

One of the new features they added was an electronic proof of claim. Recently, the courts started to allow electronic filings and electronic proof of claim. We needed to have a very secure platform that is easy to use for our users to send their claims in an electronic form.

What is the team composition?

We work with 5–6 members of their team, including a project manager, UX designers, and developers. I spoke with everyone on the team at one time or another.

How did you come to work with Merixstudio?

They were recommended to me by a friend who had worked with them previously and was impressed with their work.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2016, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We've been very happy with everything. They do a lot of planning and research and provide valuable feedback. They go through a very thorough process before they take each step, so we've seen surprisingly few bugs.

How did Merixstudio perform from a project management standpoint?

They do a lot of testing and make sure they're comfortable with the code before they put it out there, which limits the number of iterations we have to go through. We mostly use phone and email to stay in touch.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their attention to detail is exceptional. Also, they have a very good way to explain technical things to someone who doesn't have the background.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes, it seemed that they went into too much detail. But once the project was completed, we realized that that was necessary to make the execution part painless.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a company that does administration for AWS and Microsoft Azure. I’m also in the process of developing an app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merixstudio?

I had issues with the original developers I chose from the project—there were too many bugs in the final version. I hired Merixstudio as a partner to redesign and develop new features in the app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We kept the nature of the developed web app, but Merixstudio redesigned the platform and created a new interface. They implemented new features and made the app mobile responsive. Their team built it to allow user registrations, order customizations, and transactions. They created the app using PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript.

What is the team composition?

There are five teammates dedicated to the project. They devote front- and backend developers, a tester, project manager, and business analyst.

How did you come to work with Merixstudio?

I found Merixstudio on Clutch and compared them to several companies. I wanted a company that I didn’t need to travel far to visit and weren’t as pricey as other vendors in Switzerland, so I chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between €30,000-40,000 (approximately $34,000–$45,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We hired them in July 2018 and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

So far, I’m delighted with the quality of the work. We performed user testing on their deliverables and everything functions well.

How did Merixstudio perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate using Slack and their team uses Jira to manage the project. They’ve done a great job with that.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We appreciate their transparency about their abilities and timeframes. They always tell us how long certain tasks will take them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We like working with Confluence, so that’d be helpful in the future.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Sheepblue, which trains AI on how to schedule people. For people in the US, there’s a work scheduling app. It’s a huge challenge to find the right shift schedule. For example, a single mom may want to be with her kids in the afternoon so she prefers to work in the morning, or a student may prefer to work on weekends. Our mechanism learns those preferences, and, at the same time, understands business needs. It reduces overages in hours and split shifts, and schedules people in shifts that work for them.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merixstudio?

We were looking for a reliable partner to implement our web frontend with a modern technique. We figured that doing so would increase the quality of our backend processes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Merixstudio developed our web frontend from scratch. We worked together as a team as they integrated into our development. They also developed the mobile UI. They used the Angular framework for development. The communication between the backend and the frontend happens via a RESTful API.

The web frontend is meant to be used by managers to define shifts and manage resources. It has a holiday calendar and off-time management. There are features called “My Shift” and “My Schedule” that are used when an employee needs to interact with their shift and see what shifts would be scheduled in the next couple of weeks.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with a project coordinator who facilitates communication between their team and ours. We had three frontend developers, and we’re currently using two full-time developers.

How did you come to work with Merixstudio?

We already had experience with Merixstudio on another project, so we asked them to work with us again. We compared them with a few competitors and selected Merixstudio for their professional processes and good communication, and the teams they proposed seemed quite good. They were incredibly reliable, the quality was fine, and they were straight to the point when it came to problems or if they thought our specifications weren’t written in the best way. They came up with improvements, and we had effective dialogue on the same level. We had a good experience, so we got back to them with this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Merixstudio two years ago. The MVP was launched in the first week of January, 6–7 months after we started the implementation. The engagement is ongoing for improvements and reiterations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Merixstudio has performed quite well. From the beginning, they assigned a project coordinator who pushed the effort, enforced active communication and involved us whenever they became stuck. We onboarded Merixstudio’s team well, and communication improved after that. 

Merixstudio developed the entire frontend of our platform. Whatever the customer sees as coming from our company came from Merixstudio. Merixstudio was able to not only code it but deliver it in its entirety.

When asked for feedback, our users said that the frontend feels rock-solid, which is a testament to Merixstudio’s work. As software developers, we sometimes experience frustration interacting with applications because they feel too fragile or unstable, or because they feel too different between different browsers and devices, but Merixstudio’s frontend is rock-solid in comparison.

How did Merixstudio perform from a project management standpoint?

We don’t have a project manager on their team because we’re directing the project. The development and interaction processes are based on Atlassian’s Jira. We use the tool to interact with Merixstudio and hand over requirements, tickets, and specifications. We’ve worked in an agile way, so we didn’t have schedules.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Whenever there was a feeling of something not going well, such as the communication with a team member, Merixstudio had a good sense for it, and they had an excellent process to escalate issues in the best way. They addressed issues right away before they became problematic. They’re quite proactive when it comes to communication or anticipating issues with the team or the timetable. They contacted us immediately and requested a meeting, and stayed in touch for the next couple of weeks until they were sure the problem was covered. This helped a lot.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re not the least expensive option when it comes to offshoring, but it comes down to paying a price for quality.

When it came to choosing and onboarding new team members, the profiles offered by Merixstudio weren’t conclusive. Every team member had AngularJS skills, but it was difficult to understand whether they were experts or intermediate level. I’d like to choose potential members through a more standardized profile and have an easier way to find the right people without going through several interviews and explaining my needs multiple times. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients should make expectations around resources clear from the beginning. It’s important to know the schedule as well as the number of resources needed on both sides. On one occasion, we didn’t share our plans enough in advance, so we lost one of our more important resources in the middle of the project. On the current project, we shared our plans for the next 12 months, and Merixstudio let us know about their bookings and the availability of different resources. 

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was updated by the client on January 27, 2020. The original star ratings were: Overall – 4.5, Quality – 4.5, Schedule – 5, Cost – 4, NPS – 4.5. New content is below:

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

For the first project, we’d contracted Merixstudio to develop the frontend for our solution in Angular. Since then, they’ve returned for other Angular-based frontend projects for our mobile and desktop solutions. They’ve also provided basic project management services upon request.

What is the team composition? 

We’ve worked with five resources in total, and it’s definitely increased over time.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $170,000 on the current project alone.

What is the status of this engagement?

This project started at the end of 2018 and is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

In general, we’re quite happy with the frontend development. We follow an agile process and regularly measure our task performance. We’ve noticed that we’ve improved, especially since May 2019.

How did Merixstudio perform from a project management standpoint?

It took us a few months to find the perfect set up for us, but we’re really happy with how Merixstudio communicates with us. That, combined with the quality of work and technical approach, has left me quite satisfied with them at the moment. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their project management is really grade-A. If we define a deadline, have an appointment, or want to follow a specific task structure, they’re able to easily fit into that. I trust their ability to deliver, and they’re reliable. That’s what separates them from the other service providers we’ve worked with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s not a lot to improve. I’m really quite happy with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?
 
If you’re not happy with the consultant assigned to you, just be honest and straight with them. They’ll do their best to fix any issue you might have. We actually had an issue earlier this year, but they managed it so well once we said something.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Humanitrack. We’re a startup in Denmark that seeks to connect individuals, groups, and ideas from around the world into a community of communities. Our platform organizes and validates innovation news to identify new opportunities for all of us to solve.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Merixstudio?

I initially needed resources to build the MVP of our platform. Their role has since evolved into developing a polished early beta.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted to develop a working MVP of my platform on a budget without sacrificing any of the necessary features. This would serve as a foundation to test with our core user base. Since the platform and community around it would define our company, the MVP needed to be exceptional.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I needed a large, cost-effective team to build and test the platform, so I searched for development studios outside of Denmark but within the European Union. Merixstudio responded to my job posting, and I liked them from the get-go. Not only were they transparent and clear communicators, but they also understood my vision and were willing to work with my budget.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

In the beginning, I provided them with my ideas, desired features, logo, and wireframes to scope out the project. We then immediately started on v1.0 of the MVP, which involved UX/UI design, back- and frontend development, and finally QA. After adding some additional features, we reworked this iteration for v1.1.

Their team has since released v2.0, adding significant gamification elements, and we’re currently working on v2.1. The latest version will address issues and make the platform more accessible and focused for new users.

The platform runs on a hierarchical management system and features a newsfeed, custom forum, automatic posting through URLs, a commenting system, and notifications. Users can also register on Facebook and make PayPal donations. Merixstudio designed the UI using Material-UI, and the platform is hosted on AWS.

What was the team composition?

The team consists of a project manager, three frontend developers, a backend developer, a UI lead, and a UX lead. We’ve also had different QA specialists who rotated based on availability as well as an AWS specialist who set up and optimized our platform on the cloud.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We’re still in the startup phases, so we don’t have any metrics yet. However, we’ve tested early versions of our platform with users and are implementing their feedback into v2.1. I’m confident that our current iteration will help onboard our first core users, allowing us to build out content and make further revisions.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project manager is responsive to my needs and understands my financial limitations, often suggesting ways to reduce costs. We coordinate through Slack and Jira, and they have daily Google Hangouts meetings to keep everyone fully aligned.

They’ve also been transparent throughout the process. When I asked about some minor changes that were taking longer than expected, they told me exactly what had happened. Occasionally, we’ve missed a few deadlines, but this was due to holidays, a growing feature list, and unforeseen complications.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Although I’m a smaller customer, I appreciate that they still treat me like a huge client. I had the pleasure of visiting their office and enjoyed meeting their team. They have a strong balance of professionalism, talent, communication, and friendliness.

Are there any areas for improvement?

While the price estimates were accurate for v1.0, the costs have nearly tripled as we’ve continued to v2.1. Furthermore, the AWS quote was grossly underestimated, and I wish we could’ve avoided incurring setup costs for the un-optimized AWS system during the first few months. However, I appreciate that they were willing to handle the AWS setup themselves instead of outsourcing it to a more expensive vendor.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the commercial director at Consenna.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merixstudio?

We were developing an interactive software and some sales enablement tools for one of our clients. We were looking for additional development resources.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave them the wireframes and they developed for us two different tools in HTML5. One tool was an interactive rapid assessment that helped identify whether or not the business was ready for the new program–the Office of the Future. Merixstudio delivered a customized report with their recommendations based on their findings. The other tool was a virtual vending machine, which would provide the appropriate HP products for the Office of the Future, as well as the pricing. They continue to update different elements of the software on a regular basis.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with about six of their team members, including front- and backend developers and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Merixstudio?

I did some research online and checked their reviews on Clutch. They had very good reviews, so I chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about £50,000 (approximately $63,770 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2016 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The client was extremely happy with the software and approved it. They even wanted to use it outside the UK.

How did Merixstudio perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very professional, proactive, and honest. Our managing director went over to Poland to meet with them at the start of the engagement. After that, we mostly used Skype and phone calls to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They do high-quality work. If there is a problem, they address it very quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I'd highly recommend them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend speaking with Kamil (Head of Business Development, Merixstudio). He is very knowledgeable and understands business, so you can write out the scope of the project very quickly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of web development at a financial services firm. We provide services in customer lending, banking, and lending to small and medium enterprises.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Merixstudio?

We were developing a client-side application and server-side component and we needed additional resources to help us deliver them.

That involved joining in the development work on our new platform, which we were over 70% of the way through.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us finalize project of transformation of our core frontend platform to new tech stack, which we were around eight months into.  It’s an extension of our existing solution but involved building a whole platform.

Their development used Angular, Node.js, and TypeScript, focusing on the public website side. They worked on the communication between the internal systems and the client-side frontend. It’s a more technical component. We were also doing a lot of technical work on the frontend side that isn’t visible to the client.

What is the team composition?

There were four people at the beginning and now there are three. We communicate with all of them; they’re integrated into our team.

How did you come to work with Merixstudio?

I found them on Clutch.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2018 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They help us with many of our core features, particularly in terms of specifying them. They’re a very valuable addition to our internal team when it comes to complex technical solutions. They help offload our internal dev leads, which is very good.

How did Merixstudio perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management is handled on our side. We’re in constant contact, with daily meetings, and the communication is good. There are code reviews and other things like that to keep track of the quality.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their technical expertize in frontend development is impressive. I visited their office once and saw they have a team of about 70 people, split between front- and backend development. I could really see that they’re specialized in technology, rather than being generalized. It means they know the technologies they work with extremely well.

It also means they have a large team to consult with. They’re professional, which is a rare commodity to find.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In one case they had an employee who was leaving the company and he didn’t perform very well in his last few weeks. There’s not much one can do about that though, and the remaining team members took over and they fixed it. They rectified the situation well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

No.